How can diphtheria be treated?
Since diphtheria is a bacterial infection, it can be treated with the appropriate antibiotics. Antitoxin may also be administered. Your health care provider will determine which treatment is best for you. How can diphtheria be prevented? Several vaccines are available to prevent diphtheria. Diphtheria vaccine is combined with tetanus and pertussis vaccines in different amounts for children and adults. Adults should receive routine tetanus-diphtheria (Td) every ten years. Tdap vaccine, which also protects against pertussis (whooping cough), should be used to replace one routine Td dose for adults and adolescents. Children should receive the recommended doses of DTaP, Tdap, DT, or Td vaccines on the appropriate schedule. Your health care provider can determine with vaccine is right for you. All information presented is intended for public use. For more information, please refer to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/diphtheria/in-short-both.htm. This page was last reviewed on November 8
